Sanofi said May 17 it will soon launch a late-stage trial for the COVID-19 vaccine it is developing with GlaxoSmithKline after the vaccine produced a strong immune response in phase 2 trial participants.
The phase 2 study enrolled 722 participants ages 18-95 in the U.S. and Honduras. Its results showed the vaccine presented no safety concerns and produced 95 to 100 percent seroconversion following participants' second doses. Seroconversion refers to the vaccine's ability to get the body to generate antibodies that fight the coronavirus and is measured by blood readings.
"These positive data show the potential of this protein-based adjuvanted vaccine candidate in the broader context of the pandemic, including the need to address variants and to provide for booster doses," Roger Connor, president of GSK's global vaccines division, said in a news release. "We believe that this vaccine candidate can make a significant contribution to the ongoing fight against COVID-19 and will move to phase 3 as soon as possible to meet our goal of making it available before the end of the year."
The drugmakers expect to enroll more than 35,000 adult participants from a broad range of countries in their phase 3 trial.